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New Online Platform for Crowdsourced Videos About Human Rights Issues

Anyone with a phone and an Internet connection can be a citizen journalist, as was made clear in the hours and days after the Boston Marathon Bombings. Citizen journalism has its pros and cons, but it has popped up where most needed: after natural disasters or in war torn regions where career journalists might be barred. A new human rights initiative seeks to link citizen reporting in the form of online videos with mainstream media, governments and other policy makers. The online platform, called Irrepressible Voices, will both document human rights issues and work on solutions as a community.

The platform is still in a beta phase, but some videos have already been uploaded. While the initiative is a good and even necessary one, it is incredibly ambitious as well. With such a small group behind it, Irrepressible Voices will need support, especially if they want to not only disseminate information but to act on that information.

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